


I believe it is time to go

by acrimsondaisy



Category: The Blank Rune
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Bittersweet Ending, First words your soulmate says to you, Hurt/Comfort, Introspection, Nonbinary Character, Other, Trying to adhere to canon outside the soulmate AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:41:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27442108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acrimsondaisy/pseuds/acrimsondaisy
Summary: It seems so hopeless.It seems so inevitable.And yet he cannot let go.Coal and Copper find each other in the worst possible circumstances and still, they try to hold on.
Relationships: Coal Etherwood & Ash Etherwood, Jude "Copper" Copperfield/Coal Etherwood
Comments: 4
Kudos: 3





	I believe it is time to go

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fanfiction for The Blank Rune (https://www.fanfiktion.de/s/5aa6ab4500029f4925c9cfc3/1/The-Blank-Rune) which is a German story that takes inspiration from the Hunger Games. The author of the original work is Herania here on AO3 and I highly encourage you to look up their work here as well, if you're into obscure Russian video games. I plan to translate the original fic eventually, but if you speak German and this intrigued you... Please read it <3)

“ _I hope you die.”_

The words had been the first ones Coal remembered reading, anything before that was a blur, lost to distant memory. Everyone knew what the tattoos meant, though Coal was mystified by those on his own arm. What kind of circumstances would lead the first words their soulmate said to them to be this... aggressive?

Granted, soulmarks could get pretty outlandish. It wasn't uncommon for the first thing out of a person's mouth to be incredibly bizarre, just in case the recipient of them happened to be your destined lover. Sentences like 'You are the 43rd person I've greeted today', 'How would you want to die' or – from someone who apparently considered herself a jokester, considering the endless tunnels they dwelled in – 'The sky is a lovely shade of brown today' were all perfectly normal phrases to have written on your arm.

Still, this was... different. For their twin, the words on Coal's arm had been reason enough to dismiss the concept of soulmates as a whole. Coal remembered their reaction clear as day, how their nose had scrunched up in distaste with each word they read.

“Bullshit!” Ash had exclaimed, their voice firm, “You deserve better than some rude asshole like that... ' _I hope you die_ '... Tsk. They better hope _I_ never get a hold of them.”

Coal couldn't contain their smile. Their heart swelled at the notes of protectiveness and concern in them and then, instinctively, reached out to squeeze their twin's shoulder. Ash relaxed at the touch, but only slightly.

“Maybe it's part of a game or a play. I'm sure it won't be so harsh in context. We'll be soulmates, after all.”

Ash shook their head. “Even so. That's rude. They have no right to say something like that to you.”

Coal chuckled. “Nobody's said anything to me yet.”

“Good,” Ash crossed their arms, “Fuck soulmates!”

And well... that had been it. After that, the discussion of soulmates hadn't come up again. Any time Coal or anyone else had brought up the topic, Ash had shut it down as swiftly and firmly as they could.

As much as Coal was moved by the lengths their sibling was willing to go for them, there was something bittersweet about it all. Ash was looking out for them, sure, but they were also throwing away a piece of their own potential happiness. After all, their set of soulmate tattoos wasn't offensive in the slightest. And while it wasn't unheard of for someone to have more than one soulmate, it was still a bit of a rarity. Ash had two of them, one on each arm. Coal had seen them, though their twin liked to keep them out of sight and usually had their tattoos hidden behind long sleeves or arm-warmers.

Their first tattoo was a quite generic _“What's your name?”_ while the other pleaded _“Five more minutes”_. Though Ash still swore by the proclamation that they didn't care about soulmates and romance was a waste of time anyway, Coal secretly hoped they would find their soulmates. Their twin deserved another person who could watch out for them. Coal tried their best, of course, but they couldn't be there to catch everything. Still, whatever the world threw at the two of them, they would face it together.

Besides, Coal wasn't so fast at dismissing their own potential soulmate. Despite the protest of their twin, Coal didn't take as much offense at the words on their arm. More than anything, they were intrigued. If this were the first words they would speak to each other, there really was no place to go but up, after that.

Right?

*

As long as Copper could remember, he knew he'd participate in the Hunger Games. And while that was something a lot of people in his district would probably tell you, it was something that Copper knew it with absolute certainty.

He would meet his soulmate there.

What else could the words on his arm possibly mean? The First district didn't really have a children's facility that was separated like that and he had never heard of anyone calling the kid's ward in the hospital by that name. Or give a reason why you shouldn't go in there. That could only mean one thing.

“ _Not... the children's facility... Don't go... into Blank Rune... even if-”_

At first, the words had confused him. What the fuck was Blank Rune, first of all? But as the Games changed more and more, his understanding grew. It had to be an arena thing.

So he trained. Though Copper still kept his distance from any institution that could reasonably be described as a children's facility. Just in case. It wasn't that Copper really expected to find his soulmate there. He wasn't so naive as to think that anyone was actually capable of loving him, even hypothetically. Most likely, the poor sod that fate had decided to shackle to Copper was gonna hate him anyway. If it was a fellow Career tribute, he'd just be an unnecessary distraction for Copper, a resented rival they'd have to get rid of if they wanted any chance of survival. And if not... then they probably hated him even more for dooming them to The Hunger Games in the first place. Copper didn't blame them.

It didn't matter, either way.

Copper wasn't going into the Games for love or for anything else so unattainable to him. No, he had much more practical concerns. Money. Hard coin. Proving himself and showing everyone around him that maybe he wasn't such a worthless fuck-up, after all. With the victor's money, he could pay back his parents for all the hard work they put into him, he could earn his place and make it so maybe they wouldn't regret putting him into this world so much anymore.

His peers, too, would finally leave him alone, as well. Everyone knew victors were untouchable. Nobody could get to them, nobody would hurt them. Everyone knew they had already proven their worth.

And if he did that... that was all he needed to be at peace with himself.

Right?

*

When Coal awoke, there was a hand tightly pressed against their mouth. This hadn't been how they imagined their first day in the arena, despite all the major changes the Gamemakers had promised for this iteration of the Hunger Games.

Fear. Confusion. Shock. All these emotions built up inside of Coal as they were being manhandled while several people yelled unclear instructions out at them. It was overwhelming and stressful, so coal, for the time being, chose to simply keep laying there, letting the events wash over them.

Yet their plans were thwarted all at once by a well-placed kick to the side.

“Seriously? Is this guy trying to fuck with me? I saw that he's still awake. Asshole!” a rough voice with a deep cadence to it, very close to them, probably the person holding their mouth closed. Then, the voice shifted to address them, “I hope you die!”

Time froze all in its tracks. Every one of Coal's muscles stopped working all at once. Their heart skipped a beat as they were struck by the weight of the words that had just been spoken. These words... they knew them by heart. They were more familiar to them than any other phrase in the English language.

Their soulmate.

“You die if you say anything,” another voice, further in the distance, “So just don't talk, okay?”

No talking? Coal's stomach twisted into a knot. Then how...

“Can you nod if you understand us? We'll release you – just don't speak!”

Coal nodded and just as promised, they were free. As they opened their eyes, they were immediately blinded by a stark white room and glaring lights. Immediately, they shut their eyes again, slowly blinking to adjust them to the new environment.

Coal's first instinct was to turn around. Touch the person who had been keeping them in their grip until just now. Their soulmate. How many times had Coal laid awake, wondering about them? If they were short or tall. What gender they'd end up being. If they'd be able to get along with Ash, despite the bad first impression.

Now there they were. Right in front of them. Crouching on the ground, Coal had never seen so much white in one place before, let alone a person. Short, platinum blonde hair that blended seamlessly into pale skin, and a spotless white hospital gown. A single ray of light, all bound up into one person. Looking at their face, they looked just as angry and aggressive as they sounded when Coal was still at their mercy. Pale blue eyes staring downward, under a pair of thick, bushy eyebrows. Their physique, too, was quite striking – they were stout, with big, defined muscles.

Coal's first thought was that maybe they were used to a lot of manual labor, but no. This person was far too pale-skinned to be anything but a Career. Coal knew that at the surface, the sun would brown your skin and they had never seen such a white person in the tunnels who wasn't a Peacekeeper. This one looked like they never spent more than one minute outside. That wasn't something anyone from the outer districts could ever afford.

So a Career, then. Not what they had expected. A lopsided grin crept up their face when they thought about the _I-told-you-so_ -speech Ash would surely give them when they told them about this. They could practically already hear them _'I knew it!'_ they'd say, _'I knew they were a piece of shit! You definitely deserve better than a fucking Career!'_

And though there was a lot of fondness in that thought, there was also worry that accompanied it. They really hoped that Ash was doing okay back home, that the worry and anxiety about Coal surviving weren't eating them up too much. The Peacekeepers had cornered Coal so quickly, there hadn't even any time for them to say goodbye.

“First, let's clear up the most important thing,” another person cleared their throat to direct everyone's attention toward them. Right, Coal almost forgot they weren't alone in there. The one speaking had a metal arm, strawberry blonde hair, and an aura of self-importance. “My name is Oxyll Caveros. Son of Vernon and Tiera Caveros. I am the spare of the house – but worry not! After my victory in these Games, I won't just be the owner of a quite significant prize and a decent house, I still have a good legacy, and of course one of the most important names in the First District!"

Great. Did this guy always introduce himself like this? Wasn't that far too much to fit on to one arm? Besides, out of all people in the room, it wasn't Oxyll that Coal might end up marrying if they got out of here.

The introductions went on until it came to a point where it came to the cards. Apparently, each tribute in the arena was assigned one, their own being the High Priestess. They were tattooed on everyone's skin. Coal scoffed when they heard that. It was just like the Capitol to try to pervert something as beautiful and hopeful as your fate being inked on your body, and put their own cruel twist on it.

Coal was just about to turn to the person still sitting on the ground in order to show them their soulmark, when another person intercepted them with a question that shouldn't have surprised them as much as it did. Still, the sheer absurdity of it all.

“Are you a boy or a girl?”

This poor lost soul. Coal could barely get their giggling under control.

Still, someone who felt the need to ask this question at all was likely to be someone who needed an explanation. That was exhausting enough to do with words, but Coal had absolutely no idea how they were supposed to _mime_ being nonbinary.

This would've been much easier if they could talk, but well... the Gamemakers must've really hated their puns.

And they couldn't help the small amount of satisfaction that overcame them when Oxyll had assumed him to be male. Yes, being addressed as a guy was definitely preferable to the alternative.

The guy on the ground had still not said another word nor moved from his spot. Even when it was time for everyone to say their names, he only looked up briefly and grumbled a low reply.

“...Copper.”

Their own smile widened in response. Copper and Coal. That certainly had a nice ring to it.

They stepped closer to the grumpy figure on the floor, trying to keep their face as friendly and non-threatening as they could. From what they've been able to tell so far, this Copper seemed to be easily tipped over the edge. Coal crouched down in front of them and gently tugged at the other person's sleeve.

“What the fuck?”

In the next moment, Coal was pushed away with a force and intensity that almost reminded them of the Peacekeepers back home. Their back made impact with the floor. It would've hurt, they could tell, had it not been for the fact that the entire room had been lined with soft cushions. They sat up, giving their attacker a puzzled look.

“Don't fucking touch me, you bastard!” they screamed at Coal, their posture defensive.

Fair enough, Coal thought, though they didn't much appreciate the way the Career had gone about showing that. Still, Coal wasn't about to give up just yet.

In one quick leap, they sat up again, and somewhat theatrically brushed some imaginary dirt off their clothes. The room, of course, was squeaky clean, but it was about the principle of the thing, really. For good measure, they looked back toward Copper again, trying their best to look offended.

As their gazes met, Copper staggered backwards, as though they had made an actual physical counter-attack. Copper's eyes widened, and their expression turned from shocked, to stricken.

“I'm sorry!” Copper exclaimed, the guilt clearly evident in their voice, “I'm really sorry!”

Coal put their hands up in a gesture that hopefully came across as reassuring. It had been meant to be a gentle chiding, nothing more. But somehow, it had gotten out of hand. What a mess.

When Copper still didn't look any calmer, Coal felt a pang of guilt creep up to them. They scratched the back of their neck in an apologetic gesture and gave Copper what they hoped to be a small, reassuring smile.

Only now did Copper breathing fall more evenly, and their shoulders relaxed, if only slightly. That would have to be enough for now. Coal offered them a small thumbs-up before they stepped closer again and lifted up the sleeve of their shirt to reveal their soulmark for Copper to read.

_I hope you die._

Copper's reaction was unlike anything Coal might've ever expected. The Career's eyes widened, as a range of emotions flashed through them at lightning speed. Denial. Shock. Hope. Despair. Terror. Agony. Before finally settling on what couldn't be mistaken for anything, but anger.

“No,” they roared, as moisture gathered in their eyes, “Get that away from me right now! Are you trying to fuck with me?”

Coal stumbled backwards, vigorously shaking their head. Even if they still had the ability to speak, they would've been lost for words. What was happening? Why was Copper reacting like this? Had they done something wrong?

“I don't want anything to do with this shit!” their voice was getting more and more desperate.

Instinctively, Coal opened their mouth, before they remembered that they weren't allowed to talk. Damn, another complication. The Career's eyes darkened all at once.

“Fuck that soulmate shit! Don't want one, don't need one,” they declared, “Don't ever fucking say _anything_ to me!”

*

Copper watched in wonder as Coal walked up, clicked his tongue, and made the decision for them all. Only seconds later, the familiar melody rang around the group, and with it, a small parachute. Quite matter-of-factly, Coal opened it and walked over to Oxyll.

Of course, they had chosen the painkiller. Of course. Copper should've known he would. Should've known it by the way he had insisted on taking that last exit, but the calm patience they radiated, by the gentle steadiness they provided even as everything around them went to shit.

Coal was a good person. He had proven as much already, without even speaking a single word – instead, it was evident in his actions. Unlike Copper, there was someone who added something of worth into this world.

_And they were his soulmate._

It was a knife, twisting in his stomach into knots. They would die here, Copper knew that without the shadow of a doubt. That verdict had been inked into his skin, ever since he could remember.

“ _Not... the children's facility... Don't go... into Blank Rune... even if-”_

Blank Rune – runes were the building blocks of this arena. It was also the only possible context in which his soulmark made any sense whatsoever. That meant that Coal was going to die. He was doomed from the very start – by his own card. Coal couldn't speak. The first words he would say to Copper would also be his last. They must be important, too. Otherwise, they wouldn't...

Fuck! He could see it right there! The words on Copper's arm didn't even form a complete fucking sentence...

His hands tightened into fists. It was useless to think about this at all. Copper had known what he was getting into when he volunteered for the Hunger Games. Only... had he really? Now that he was here, only one day into the Games, he was already doubting everything he had ever been taught. Had already attached himself more to these strangers, strangers he was supposed to kill, than to anyone he was connected to back home.

But no matter how he spun it, it was a hopeless situation. Whatever potential this held, it wasn't going to happen. Not for him, at least.

He was the devil.

A part of him couldn't even fault the Gamemakers for this decision. It only made sense to declare someone as loathsome as him the enemy of all other tributes. After all, it had always been that way – he and other people were on opposite ends of the spectrum. No matter what happened, Copper had never figured out what it was that made it so impossible for anyone else to accept him as he was. But he knew there was something deep within him that was just... wrong.

At first, he had assumed it was his name, at least that was the thing that people teased him about. But once he shed it, it became his temper, and by then, Copper was convinced it wasn't any of these arbitrary features that caused him to be so ostracized, but something intrinsic within his nature. Like oil and water.

That was the real reason he had always dismissed the notion of soulmates. If life had proven anything to Copper, then that it was impossible for anyone to love him. Not his parents. Not his classmates. Hell, not even himself.

But then, there was Coal, with his easy kindness. The small gestures of love that came so naturally to them, the gentle humility of it all. They kept trying, kept putting in the effort, kept investing in their shared togetherness. Coal hadn't even given up on him even after Copper had given them every reason to. Even after he yelled at them and pushed them away, even after he had told them that he hoped they'd die – they had still offered him a smile, and Copper had almost burst into tears.

How could he possibly deserve this?

*

The paper was torn.

There it laid, broken on the ground.

_What is your greatest wish?_

Those words... Coal's jaw clenched just thinking about it. They could distinctly remember the first time they had heard them. During that long monologue in the train, right before the Games had truly begun, the man they had recognized as Jason Bright had presented it all as though it were a boon, some great mercy, but Coal knew what it would end up as.

They shivered at the thought. No, they would do everything they could to prevent this from taking place. No matter how small it was. Coal had no illusions, they knew they didn't have the means to warn all the tributes, to ward off this tragedy once and for all. But maybe... they could minimize its impact.

One person at a time.

Copper had calmed down somewhat by now, all of them had. Despite the fact that the day, according to their collars, had only just begun, Coal felt about ready to go right back to sleep again. Their body might have been well-rested, but the weight of the last few days still haunted them, drove them to exhaustion. First... Oxyll's arm, and then, as if that hadn't been enough already, there was also...

Copper had taken up his familiar position again, crouched on the ground, his head bowed, skittish, hidden behind his large, muscled arms that were resting on his knees. His eyebrows were furrowed, knitted together in an expression that more resembled stress and frustration than his usual barely-restrained anger.

Understandable, they thought. Copper had more than enough things to be stressed about, to put it mildly. It was no small burden that the Gamemakers had placed on him. But that didn't mean all hope was lost. Just because he couldn't win these Games with the Devil's disadvantage, didn't mean there was no way for him to survive... Right? Coal bit their lip. They weren't sure. Things like wording, opportunity, the whim of the Gamemakers, their own faulty memory – all those had to be put into consideration.

But if Coal had learned one thing in their life, then that the most useless thing to do in any situation was to give up hope. They had to believe that they would find a way.

With this determination, they walked over to the Career on the floor. Copper only looked up briefly when he noticed them. Either, he wasn't ready to stop brooding just yet or he still hadn't forgiven them for the incident with the paper. Regardless, Coal offered him a small smile and sat down next to the Career.

For a while, nothing changed. The two simply existed together in silence. Then, after a little while, Copper turned his head again.

“Hey,” he addressed them in a low voice. Coal offered him another smile.

“Why do you... keep doing this?”

Coal just tilted their head to the side, trying to indicate a question. Just one of the countless things that could be so much easier if they could talk...

“Why do you keep... trying with me?”

The question was so unexpected and quite frankly bizarre to them that Coal couldn't help but laugh. The sudden sound echoed through the room in a surprisingly loud volume. Oxyll turned his head toward them and frowned, gesturing at Fatima, who had fallen asleep. Coal bit their lip, feeling a little guilty at the sight of that.

Copper's expression, meanwhile, had changed, read to put on his old and tried anger as armor. Before things could escalate any further, Coal put up their arms in what they hoped would be a reassuring gesture and gave him an apologetic look. Copper nodded in acknowledgment but remained silent.

Right. There still was a question left for them to answer.

They hesitated for a moment if only because the gesture itself was so cheesy. But well, if the Gamemakers wanted to avoid cheesiness, they should've let them keep their voice. Coal pointed first at their own heart, and then toward Copper's.

The Career frowned. “It's because we're soulmates?”

Coal shook his head, and made another gesture, this time with both of their hands and then back toward their own heart and gave them a small smile. For a few moments, Copper simply stared at them in confusion, but then his face cleared up.

“I have... a heart?”

Coal smiled, but also gave a thumbs up and nodded in such a way as to indicate that there was still more than they wanted to say. Copper's face became unreadable. “Are you saying you think I have... a good heart?” His voice was trembling slightly as he said it.

Close enough. Coal nodded and scooted slightly closer to the man. This action seemed almost to spook Copper as he looked toward them, his eyes widened in shock. Coal could see his eyes start to moisten, but before they could reach out to comfort him, they felt themself be swept away and enveloped into a sudden embrace. Copper had his arms wrapped tightly around their body and pressing them firmly against his chest. There was an intensity in the hug, one that spoke of barely held back emotion. Copper buried his face in the crook of their neck and Coal could already feel their shoulder start to wet with their soulmates tears. Instinctively, Coal leaned into the embrace, placing a warm hand to Copper's back, and by muscle memory started to rub it in circles around there. The motion elicited a single choked sob from Copper, but at the same time, Coal could feel the man's fists unclench and the tension in his body soften.

After what felt like half an eternity, the Career let go of them. His eyes were bloodshed, likely from crying. Coal didn't remove their arms from his side and looked up at him with a gentle smile. Copper opened his mouth to say something but Coal beat him to it, sitting up to come face-to-face with him. There was so much they wanted to say to them.

That they had faith in him.

That they were proud of him.

That things were going to be okay, one way or another.

But for now, it was enough to simply put their hand to his cheeks, warm and soft. To look into his eyes, see the surprise, the vulnerability, the hope, in them. To rest their forehead against his and feel Copper's breath on his neck.

A brief moment of peace before the storm.

*

“Hey... I think the hour's up,” it was Oxyll's voice that startled Copper out of his thoughts. He turned to look at the man's collar and sure enough, it was true. It had felt like little more than the blink of an eye, but maybe... that was the company.

Coal hummed a few tunes and in one fluid motion jumped upwards. Then, they turned back and offered him their hand. For a few seconds, he simply blinked at them, unable to process what they were offering. Then... gingerly, he reached out and took their hand.

It was so much. Copper's throat closed up and he almost felt like crying again, but he swallowed it down and instead, squeezed a bit more firmly against their hand. It felt... Copper didn't know how it felt, only that he never wanted to let go of Coal's hand ever again.

That feeling of skin against skin... how often had Copper chased after it. Getting into fights and battles, just to feel a living human make impact with him. Never quite giving him what he needed...

But this...

Coal was warm against his skin, and when they let go, he felt a small piece of his soul leave with him.

Fatima woke up. The group moved on, and there was that door again.

Copper didn't have to do this, Fatima even reminded him of that again – as if he didn't already know the objectives of his own dilemma, as if she didn't trust him to want to help them at all. But well... she had every reason to question his motives. For Copper, however, the path was clear.

He was the expendable one here.

And that was okay.

Because when Coal walked on to that threshold, when they turned their head back at him again, their face framed by red light, a bloody halo all around them, Copper knew that he made the right decision.

If it was about which of them should survive this hell... Copper knew he would do everything in his power to defy fate. To never hear the words on his arm. To make sure their soulmate survived.

Because well...

Coal gave them one more smile. Reassuring. Kind. Hopeful.

It was time to follow.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much to Phi for writing the Blank Rune <3


End file.
